Archive for the 'Report Card' Tag Under 'UCLA' Category

The grades are in from UCLA's 44-30 win over Washington on Saturday...

PASS OFFENSE

For those who have ever wondered if Brett Hundley could be a successful NFL quarterback, Saturday's film against Washington is evidence of the affirmative. Hundley was phenomenal against the Huskies, completing 29 of his 36 passes for 302 yards and two touchdowns. He threw crispyl down the field (averaging 8.2 yards per attempt), he stepped up confidently into the pocket play after play, and he rarely scrambled unnecessarily. He ran the ball just seven times -- after toting it 65 times in his prior four games combined -- and two of those carries went for touchdowns. Hundley was clearly determined to air it out in the pass game, in hopes of taking advantage of Washington's inexperience in the secondary, and he did so with great ease in Seattle. Now the Bruins' all-time leader in touchdown passes, Hundley had one of his best games ever on Saturday. If he can keep up like this, UCLA might not lose again this season.

For the second week in a row, UCLA quarterback Brett Hundley was mostly uninspiring through the air, and if it weren't for a 70-yard touchdown to Jordan Payton in the third quarter, Hundley would've finished with one of the worst passing statlines of his career. Some of that was due to how frequently he ran -- 24 times, a career-high -- and a lot of it was due to Arizona's choice to drop eight men into coverage on a regular basis. But the fact of the matter is that Hundley has looked mediocre in trying to execute his downfield reads as of late and his accuracy has been inconsistent. Hundley managed the game effectively, and he found Payton when it mattered most. But most of his damage was done on the ground, as the pass game foundered against a secondary that previously ranked 123rd in the nation in pass yards allowed.

If you evaluate UCLA's passing game without considering the offensive line's complete inability to stymie Utah's outside rush or quarterback Brett Hundley's struggle to get rid of the ball on time and avoid said rush, then everything was mostly fine on Saturday. Hundley had just five incompletions and threw for 269 yards and two touchdowns, and on the surface, it all looked fine...until you notice the 10 sacks UCLA allowed. That number will ultimately define how the Bruins performed in this game, with both UCLA tackles Malcolm Bunche and Caleb Benenoch struggling mightily. The offense rarely had time to establish anything on offense until the final quarter, and that's when Hundley impressively manufactured two touchdown drives and then led UCLA down the field and into field goal range with a chance to win. Tthat stretch was gutsy. But the remainder of the game was a mess, with Utah running wild in the backfield.

This was the Brett Hundley that we expected at the start of the season. He completed 33 passes, which tied a UCLA record, and that was with six drops from the Bruins' still-inconsistent group of wideouts. Hundley found some rhythm with Noel Mazzone calling short passes early, and then he let loose on a 62-yard beauty to Kenny Walker for a touchdown. From there, he really had his way with Memphis' secondary; though, he probably could've done more to avoid a few of the four sacks he took. Better protection from his offensive line certainly helped, too, as did an improved run game. But Hundley deserves major credit for UCLA's offense getting back on track. He was mostly masterful on Saturday, completing 75 percent of his passes (tied for fourth-best in his career) for 396 yards (the second-most of his career). His Heisman candidacy may have gotten back on track after an uneven performance a week ago. If the rest of the unit around him can figure it out -- and they should -- UCLA won't have much to worry about.

The grades are in from UCLA's 28-20 season-opening victory over Virginia...

PASS OFFENSE

No one on UCLA’s roster has higher expectations than quarterback Brett Hundley, and as a result, the Heisman candidate will always, at least partially, be graded on a curve. And in context with some of his better performances at UCLA, his debut against Virginia didn’t measure up. That starts with his offensive line, which struggled, forcing Hundley to perform under duress throughout. But Hundley must shoulder some of the responsibility for what was a less-than-stellar pass game. With coaches raving about his development through the offseason, there wasn’t exactly overwhelming evidence in Charlottesville to support claims that he’s gotten quicker in his progressions and more advanced in his pre-snap reads. He still completed 60 percent of his passes and didn’t make any crucial mistakes, but at times, he held on to the ball too long, and not until late in the third quarter did he truly take matters into his own hands and put the offense on his back. UCLA coach Jim Mora suggested that the players around Hundley were tense early, more so than the quarterback himself. It makes sense: With the whole offense pressing around him, his receivers dropped an inordinate amount of passes, the line routinely collapsed around him, and the run game failed to alleviate pressure until late. There’s plenty of time for Hundley’s Heisman campaign to get back on track, but his 2014 debut didn’t do it any favors.

The grades are in for UCLA's 31-26 victory in Tucson on Saturday night:

OFFENSE

The good: Myles Jack's breakout performance applies in nearly every one of these categories, but the brunt of Jack's ridiculous statline came on offense, where he took just six carries for 120 yards, including runs of 69 and 29 yards. Jack ran with a head of steam that no UCLA running back has matched all season long, and it's clear that the Bruins have found a dangerous weapon for 3rd- or 4th-and-short, at the very least. Sure makes you wonder what he could do with more carries. Quarterback Brett Hundley had another solid effort, launching a 66-yard bomb for a score on his first throw of the day. His second drive was especially Hundley-esque, with the Bruins sophomore signal caller picking apart Arizona's defense for a 12-play, 84-yard drive that ended in a brilliant, vintage Hundley scramble for a touchdown. Wideout Shaq Evans also had a great game, catching two touchdown passes -- that 66-yard score, plus a beautiful grab off of a tip in the back of the endzone.

The bad: UCLA actually fumbled the ball three times in four plays at one time in the second half, which was a perfect metaphor for how the Bruins teetered on the edge of disaster in the final two quarters, while still holding themselves together. Lucky for them, only one of the fumbles was lost (and it was a questionable one at that). After the first two drives, things slowed down on offense. That was especially true in the run game, with the exception of Jack's contribution. Damien Thigpen did little with his increased opportunity and Paul Perkins never really got great separation, except for on a few runs. The offensive line looked great at times, but not so much at others, as Hundley was sacked four times.

The good: After struggling to get anything working on the ground in its two previous games, UCLA’s rushing attack carried the Bruins offense with 248 yards on 52 carries. Paul Perkins looked more like the powerful back that carried piles in Utah, rushing for 99 yards. Even Malcolm Jones looked impressive in relief, adding 61 yards. Rarely did any of UCLA’s backs get stopped behind the line of scrimmage, and for the first half, they kept UCLA in the game. Even with three freshmen offensive linemen, the Bruins blocking up front was also better than expected.

The bad: Fresh off a bad game in Stanford, Brett Hundley responded with an even worse performance against Oregon. He threw for just 64 yards on a 13-of-19 passing and rarely looked like the confident Hundley of old. Worst of all, Hundley tossed two terrible interceptions that were the epitome of UCLA’s night’s worth of missed opportunities. In the second half, the Bruins’ offense could barely move against Oregon, let alone score touchdowns

The grades are in for UCLA's 37-10 victory over Cal on Saturday night:

OFFENSE

The good: In reality, quarterback Brett Hundley's performance was uneven at best, but on paper, it looked like one of the best of his career. Hundley completed 31 of his 41 passes for 410 yards -- the third-most in a single game in UCLA history -- and three touchdowns. Slot receiver Devin Fuller had the best game of his young career, pulling in six receptions for 98 yards and a touchdown. That should be a sign of things to come as Fuller gets more and more comfortable as a receiver. Freshman tight end Thomas Duarte should also be in line for more action after his breakout game on Saturday (76 yards and a touchdown), after he caught beautiful second-quarter ball in the endzone that pretty much put the game out of reach.

The bad: Starting running back Jordon James missed Saturday's game, and without him, Cal stacked the box in order to stop the run and blitzed on passing downs. That strategy left the UCLA run game stuck in the mud all game long, as Paul Perkins and Co. tallied just 78 yards on 34 carries. And while Hundley's stat line was impressive, his performance left quite a bit to desired with more than a handful of missed throws, missed reads, and missed opportunities in the red zone. His inconsistency derailed UCLA's normally stout third-down prowess, as the Bruins converted just 4-of-12 third downs through three quarters, before converting all three of its fourth-quarter chances with the game out of reach.

The grades are in for UCLA's 34-27 conference-opening victory over Utah on Thursday:

OFFENSE

The good: Quarterback Brett Hundley's stat line may not have been sparkling -- and he had an awful pick-six late in the game -- but the sophomore quarterback made huge plays when he needed to, including a 36-yard touchdown scamper that wrapped up the victory. Hundley had trouble with blurry vision in the second half, so his final drive, which included two tough, third-down throws near the sideline and that long run, is all the more impressive. Backup running back Paul Perkins took over primary duties in the backfield when Jordon James left the game, and he was outstanding against the tough Utah front, routinely carrying tacklers with him and gaining extra yards after contact. With James likely out next week, he could make a strong push for more carries. Wideout Jordan Payton had just three receptions, but all three showcased his strength on the outside, as he broke multiple tackles and finished with the best game of his young career.

The bad: Left tackle Torian White's broken ankle, which he suffered in the second quarter, made it open season on the freshmen-manned right side of the Bruins' offensive line, and Utah responded with overload blitz after overload blitz. That kind of pressure slowed UCLA to an absolute crawl in the second half. The run game, especially with James leading the way, was basically a non-factor against Utah's front seven, with James reverting back to his dancing ways in the backfield. He'd leave with an ankle injury in the third quarter, having averaged just 3.3 yards on 12 carries. James and the rest of UCLA's backs also didn't help much in blitz coverage.

The grades are in for UCLA's 59-13 blowout victory over New Mexico State on Saturday:

OFFENSE

The good: It's hard complain much when your offense gains nearly 700 yards (692, to be exact). The running game was again unstoppable, as Jordon James reached the century mark for the third straight week, finishing with 164 yards and two touchdowns. Everyone in UCLA's backfield got a chance against the Aggies, with Paul Perkins tallying 59 total yards and Steven Manfro racking up 77 of his own, along with two scores. Oh, and did we mention Malcolm Jones -- the Bruins' fourth back -- scored two touchdowns, too? Yeah, it was a good day on the ground, albeit against the nation's worst run defense.

The bad: Quarterback Brett Hundley's numbers aren't anything to slouch at -- 23-of-35 for 280 yards and three touchdowns. But the Bruins' sophomore signal caller was anything but consistent against an inferior pass defense. After having just one interception all season, Hundley threw two in the red zone against New Mexico State. His rapport with slot receiver Devin Fuller also seemed off again, as Hundley missed him on two would-be touchdown throws. The offense started slowly for the second week in a row, which might be a concern when bigger, better teams come to town. But on Saturday, UCLA's inconsistencies would barely affect the final result.